Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)
A coach who built two dynasties from scratch, first in college football and then in the NFL, with a trademark swagger.
Born 1943 (age 83)·American football broadcaster, coach and executive·Birthday: July 16·The Silent Generation
Biography
Jimmy Johnson’s career is a study in transformative energy. He began as a defensive line coach at various colleges, his intensity already a defining trait. His breakthrough came at the University of Miami in the 1980s, where he didn't just coach a team; he forged a cultural phenomenon. The Hurricanes played with a brash, intimidating confidence that reflected their coach, winning the 1987 national championship. That success catapulted him to the Dallas Cowboys, a moribund franchise when he arrived in 1989. In a staggering five-year period, Johnson executed what is often called the greatest team rebuild in NFL history. Through aggressive drafting and the landmark Herschel Walker trade, he assembled a young, dominant squad that won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1992 and 1993. His abrupt departure from Dallas, following a rift with owner Jerry Jones, remains one of sports' most dramatic exits. He later returned to coaching with the Miami Dolphins and transitioned seamlessly into a long-running role as a sharp, entertaining television analyst.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Jimmy was born in 1943, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jimmy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1943
#1 Movie
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Best Picture
Casablanca
Jimmy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1943Born
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1948Started school
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1956Became a teenager
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1959Could drive
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1961Could vote
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Turned 21
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1973Turned 30
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 40
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 50
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 60
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 70
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 80
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 83 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led the University of Miami Hurricanes to the 1987 college football national championship.
- Engineered a rapid rebuild of the Dallas Cowboys, winning Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII.
- Executed the 1989 trade of Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings, a deal that netted multiple draft picks and became the foundation for the Cowboys' dynasty.
- Became the first head coach to win both a college national championship and a Super Bowl.
Did You Know?
He earned a Ph.D. in industrial psychology from the University of Arkansas.
Johnson is known for his distinctive, immaculately coiffed hair, which became a personal trademark.
He and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones were college teammates and roommates at the University of Arkansas.
After retiring from coaching, he won the reality TV competition 'The Celebrity Apprentice' in 2013.
“Do you want to be safe and good, or do you want to take a chance and be great?”
